Box turtle - The Eastern Box Turtle is almost entirely terrestrial, spending the majority of its life on land. Box turtles tend to be most active during morning hours before the heat of the day sets in, and again in the evening when the weather cools down. However, this behavior can be affected by weather as they may also be observed during the cooler temperatures following a summer rain. During hot and dry weather, these turtles will occasionally seek out the shallows of pools, streams or lakes. When threatened or startled, box turtles may quickly withdraw their head, limbs and tail into their shell and “box up”, pulling the bottom of their shell up against the top. The onset of colder temperatures in October and November cause box turtles to seek shelter in shallow burrows where they will spend the majority of the coming months in winter dormancy. Spring emergence typically occurs during March and April.